Apply for Federal Student Aid

Follow the below steps to apply for federal student aid at the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) by submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is required for a student to be awarded federal student loans, certain ACHE scholarships/grants, alternative loans, and some outside scholarships or grants.

The Office of Financial Aid processes aid requests for eligible students all year while enrolled; however, completion by the priority deadline dates should allow adequate processing time for eligible students enrolled in an eligible program of study to secure aid by the payment deadline. Students admitted after the priority payment deadline date should contact the ACHE Office of Financial Aid for application guidance and the ACHE Bursar for payment guidance.

Priority Deadlines

Summer Term: April 15th

Fall Term: June 15th

Spring Term: November 15th

Step 1

Create a Verified FSA ID at fsaid.ed.gov.

Create a Verified Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID if you do not have one or reset your password at fsaid.gov. The verified FSA ID gives you access to Federal Student Aid’s online systems and is used to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov and sign online loan documents.

Step 2

Submit the FAFSA at studentaid.gov to ACHE, School Code: 042568

The FAFSA online form can be submitted at StudentAid.gov typically as early as October 1^st, but for 2024-2025 it will not be available until December 31, 2023, due to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Once you submit a FAFSA you will receive a Confirmation Page.

FAFSA Tips for Graduate/Professional Students:

Submitting your FAFSA is free!
Parental information is not needed.
Online applications are processed sooner.
Prior-prior year income information for student (and spouse) is used on the FAFSA.
Student Aid Index (SAI) is new for 2024-2025 and is replacing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and is used to show financial need.

Automatic transfer of IRS data to the FAFSA is new for 2024-2025 and replaces the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT).

Step 3

Submitted FAFSAs are processed for aid eligibility

The information submitted on a FAFSA is electronically sent to be processed typically within 3-5 business days. Processing will not occur for 2024-2025 FAFSAs until the end of January 2024, and will be done by the new FAFSA Processing System (FPS) which is replacing the previous processor, the Central Processing System (CPS). FPS applies computerized edits and calculations to determine the student’s eligibility and communicates the results to students, schools, state agencies, third-party servicers, and other federal computer systems.

Step 4

Review your SAR and make corrections if needed

Students are provided a Student Aid Report (SAR) once a FAFSA is processed by FPS or CPS which shows the information submitted on the FAFSA and the processing results. Students should review the information and make corrections if necessary. Corrections made online to your FAFSA is the easiest and fastest option. Students who were selected for verification or conflicting information was found must submit additional documentation to the schools listed on their FAFSA to be reviewed before aid eligibility can be determined.

Step 5

Submit documentation to the ACHE Financial Aid Office if requested

When the FAFSA is processed by FPS or CPS the information and results are electronically sent to the schools listed on the FAFSA. The FAFSA is matched to a student’s school account based upon the social security number, name and date of birth.

The ACHE Office of Financial Aid will notify students of documentation needed if selected for verification or if conflicting information was found that must be resolved before aid eligibility can be determined. Students should submit information requested within 7 days to the ACHE Office of Financial Aid. Documentation submitted will be reviewed and compared to the information on the FAFSA and corrections may be made. Additional information may be requested.

Step 6

Eligible students receive an Estimated Financial Aid Award

Students who are determined to be eligible for federal student aid will receive an Estimated Financial Aid Award with instructions on how to view, accept, reduce, or cancel financial aid awards as well as terms and conditions of accepting aid. Students who wish to borrow federal student loans must accept the aid they wish to receive in the Student Portal. It is highly encouraged that students do not borrow more than what they need as loans must be repaid with interest and fees.

Students may not receive more financial aid (scholarships, stipends, loans, etc.) than their cost of attendance even if the financial aid is not processed directly through the ACHE Office of Financial Aid. Awards are subject to change based upon eligibility.